2008 Challenge Dates

[statona]

No, you can pretty much start anytime during the year - although if you read carefully - I do believe you have to finish no later than sometime around Thanksgiving. The challenge dates I suppose provide the BFL folks groupings of challengers they can use to select finalists from and compare from there... who knows?

[Chris]

Yeah, by all means, don't wait to start. You can still enter in the fall challenge group, you'll just finish ahead of time. It's important to take advantage of your current motivation, don't let it stall while you wait for the final start date to approach.

[winnie]

I got a question for yall. What happens if I want to start a challenge after September 3?

I'm finishing C1 in October and I was kinda thinking I'd just take a week or two off and then jump into C2. If I do that, then I'd be starting after the last "official" date for 2008.

Can I count it for 2009, even though the start date was in 2008?

Interestingly, If I take two weeks off, then my end date becomes in 2009. Otherwise, I would start and end in 2008 after the cutoffs.

[statona]

Then I don't think your results will count. They are pretty specific on finish dates.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by winnie

I got a question for yall. What happens if I want to start a challenge after September 3?

I'm finishing C1 in October and I was kinda thinking I'd just take a week or two off and then jump into C2. If I do that, then I'd be starting after the last "official" date for 2008.

Can I count it for 2009, even though the start date was in 2008?

Interestingly, If I take two weeks off, then my end date becomes in 2009. Otherwise, I would start and end in 2008 after the cutoffs.

I think they would count for 2009. You could call the info line to find out for sure.

[jerzee]

Thanks for your reply. I officially started my challenge on Monday and those "before" pictures were VERY eye opening. Of course I thought I selected an opportune time to start this challenge and was bombarded with a week from hell from work (12 hr days a few days in a row). We plan, god laughs.

I managed to fit all my workouts in so far (with the exception of today, but I still have time), but eating all my meals has been a challenge. I left a meeting to scarf down meal #3 today in about 5 minutes before returning to the meeting. This isn't as easy as I thought it would be. I have a few questions I will post in a separate thread.

[winnie]

I'm right there with ya, Jerzee. I'm finding scheduling meals and workouts to be much harder than eating clean.

[statona]

It goes back to the meals being easy. I found that by week 3-4 - meals were not a focus of my day - but rather a function of my day... it was just something i went and did... and being able to eat the same thing day in a and day out made a difference....

[jerzee]

statona, first of all, congratulations on such a remarkable transformation! You have accomplished what many can only dream about and I applaud you for the fact that you continue to challenge yourself!

You may have done this in a separate thread already, but do you mind posting a typical day meal plan for yourself (with portions specified) and how it might be pared down for a female trying to lose body fat and gain body definition?

Thanks.

[statona]

I am very very unaware of what the female version of it should be - and I don't live with a female - so I have zero idea how the different foods affect women... however, Chris or Rhone should be able to help you identify your caloric intake so that you can modify portions... but here goes my typical day:

M1 - Protein Pancakes (1 pack of sugar free flavored oatmeal, 1/2 cup of no fat cottage cheese, and a 1/2 cup of egg whites - blend, and pour just like pancakes). Serve plain - there is plenty of flavor.
M2 - Myoplex RTD (not the light carb version)
M3 - 1/2 pack of Tysons ready to eat grilled chieck breast strips (3oz). 1/2 pack (1 cup)
M4 - Same as Meal 3 (I can use the other half of each pack from M3)
M5 - Salad - sweet potato (reasonable portion, w/ fake butter), chicken/steak/pork (I don't eat alot of fish)
M6 - Ultimate Nutrition - Cookies and Cream - 1 scoop (this is pretty close to bedtime) and sometimes I mix with 8 ounces of milk and sometimes w/water, depending on how hungry I"m feeling - sometimes my stomach is grumbling. I make no bones about it... I stay away from carbs in my last meal - and started this on week 3 or 4, it seemed to work really well for me, when I went into a bit of a lull.

I am a creature of habit and can eat lots of the same things day in and day out, especially the protein pancakes, those totally rock.

Hope this helps.

[Rhone]

The main difference between men and women with the diet is that women, due to being smaller and having less muscle, should generally be consuming fewer calories. The fist-sized portion rule of thumb accounts for that, as women generally have smaller fists. For those who want to get more precise, the BMR calculator at hussmanfitness.com can help you set a reasonable target for caloric intake.

I can't think of much else that really ought to differ between men and women. Women are at greater risk for iron-deficiency anemia (due to iron lost from menstruation) and should make sure they are getting enough iron, but if you're doing BFL (which means you're most likely getting a decent amount of meat) and taking a multivitamin then you're probably already getting more than enough.

[jerzee]

Originally Posted by statona

I am very very unaware of what the female version of it should be - and I don't live with a female - so I have zero idea how the different foods affect women... however, Chris or Rhone should be able to help you identify your caloric intake so that you can modify portions... but here goes my typical day:

M1 - Protein Pancakes (1 pack of sugar free flavored oatmeal, 1/2 cup of no fat cottage cheese, and a 1/2 cup of egg whites - blend, and pour just like pancakes). Serve plain - there is plenty of flavor.
M2 - Myoplex RTD (not the light carb version)
M3 - 1/2 pack of Tysons ready to eat grilled chieck breast strips (3oz). 1/2 pack (1 cup)
M4 - Same as Meal 3 (I can use the other half of each pack from M3)
M5 - Salad - sweet potato (reasonable portion, w/ fake butter), chicken/steak/pork (I don't eat alot of fish)
M6 - Ultimate Nutrition - Cookies and Cream - 1 scoop (this is pretty close to bedtime) and sometimes I mix with 8 ounces of milk and sometimes w/water, depending on how hungry I"m feeling - sometimes my stomach is grumbling. I make no bones about it... I stay away from carbs in my last meal - and started this on week 3 or 4, it seemed to work really well for me, when I went into a bit of a lull.

I am a creature of habit and can eat lots of the same things day in and day out, especially the protein pancakes, those totally rock.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for taking the time out to provide your meal plan. For meals 3 and 4 do you just have the chicken or with a vegetable? I don't really mind eating the same things day in and out with maybe a variation for one meal, I just need to figure out what works for me still. As far as the protein pancakes, I make a version with 1/2 cup oatmeal and 6 egg whites but yours sounds much more interesting.

[jerzee]

Originally Posted by Rhone

The main difference between men and women with the diet is that women, due to being smaller and having less muscle, should generally be consuming fewer calories. The fist-sized portion rule of thumb accounts for that, as women generally have smaller fists. For those who want to get more precise, the BMR calculator at hussmanfitness.com can help you set a reasonable target for caloric intake.

I can't think of much else that really ought to differ between men and women. Women are at greater risk for iron-deficiency anemia (due to iron lost from menstruation) and should make sure they are getting enough iron, but if you're doing BFL (which means you're most likely getting a decent amount of meat) and taking a multivitamin then you're probably already getting more than enough.

Thanks for the website. It says I should target 1120-1540 calories if my primary goal is fatloss. Does it make sense for me to shoot for 1200-1300 calories a day and do 5 BFL meals? I think part of (even if I am eating the right things) feels like I am "winging" it if I don't count calories. Do you think it would help?

[Chris]

That's a point I try to make a lot on here, and I think you've summed it up very well... The BFL diet is very much just "winging it". It works as written for many people, and I think it works better if you already have some calorie counting under your belt.

Give this calorie counting a try for a week or two and see how it goes. I bet you'll be able to go back to fist-sizing it again soon.

[Rhone]

Jerzee: Yeah, that should work out. You could design a handful of meals that are roughly 250 calories, and then when you eat 5 of those meals per day you know you are within your calorie range.

Chris: I agree! Once you get used to counting the calories, it gets easier and easier to keep yourself within a certain calorie range without really having to put much effort into the actual counting. Especially if you build up a little repertoire of "go-to" meals for yourself.

[statona]

Originally Posted by jerzee

Thank you for taking the time out to provide your meal plan. For meals 3 and 4 do you just have the chicken or with a vegetable? I don't really mind eating the same things day in and out with maybe a variation for one meal, I just need to figure out what works for me still. As far as the protein pancakes, I make a version with 1/2 cup oatmeal and 6 egg whites but yours sounds much more interesting.

I do add broccoli alot - and most of the time its raw - as I can munch on it at my desk.

My variation is typically for dinner - as my other half makes what he makes - and I suck it up and eat it (within my meal plan constraints of course - but if I'm not cooking, I can't complain).

The food part simply became a function - rather than something I looked forward to.

Good luck - and ask away if I can help any further.

[jerzee]

I created a meal plan with flexibility in one or two meals. I think the easiest way to adhere to it is to limit variation. I want to stick to this particular meal plan for 3 weeks and see if it helps it become more function, as you stated. Life is getting too much in the way of my challenge ! UGH